身穿十塊錢一件的T恤，腳蹬九塊九的布鞋，每天在菜市場跟人爭分奪角… 這樣的人，你會把他歸入有錢人那一類嗎？會，或者不會。這個真的很難說。因為不少有錢人確是不折不扣的cheapskate。

A cheapskate is a stingy person who buys cheap instead of higher quality or better stuff, even though they might be able to afford the better. Perhaps they are ungenerously trying not to spend much on their friends. Not particularly offensive, and often intended to ridicule in a light hearted manner.

Cheapskate指手里有錢卻仍然放棄優質貨品轉而購買廉價物品的“吝嗇鬼”。他們可能沒什么惡意，只是不愿意在朋友身上花太多錢，有時也是一種輕松的自嘲。

The term is a North American origin. Skate began to appear in print in the US at the end of the nineteenth century, almost simultaneously meaning a worn-out horse, a mean or contemptible person, and a second-rate sportsman. Cheap was added early on to refer to a person’s tight-fisted nature rather than any of his other perceived inadequacies.

這個詞來源于北美。Skate這個說法19世紀末期初現于美國，多指駑馬、刻薄卑鄙的人，或者二流的運動員。前面加上cheap則表示某人“手緊”的本性，與他后天形成的缺點無關。

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試著做個“潛水艇父母”吧

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen）

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